The Complication

by Nia Arthurs

  “I take my health very seriously.”

  She chuckled. “What were you planning to say if you saw me at the altar?”

  “’I object!’” I threw my finger up. “Then I would have picked you up, thrown you over my shoulder and carried you away.”

  Imani shook her head. “You’re insane.”

  “Wait…” I pulled away from her and looked her up and down. “You’re not already married, are you? Did you run after signing the marriage document?”

  “No. I left before.”

  I saw the flicker of sadness in her expression and slipped my arm over her shoulder. “Did he take it hard?”

  “I feel like such a horrible person. I mean…” her voice cracked. “I’m happy. With you.” She glanced up and I saw the conflict in her eyes. “But the last thing I wanted was to hurt him.”

  I slid a thumb across her cheek. “I wish I could take that pain and guilt away. I hate that it came to this.”

  “Oh? Should I go back to the church?” She hooked a finger over her shoulder. “I’m sure Amir’s still there.”

  “Now you’re cracking jokes?”

  “I couldn’t resist.”

  I kissed the side of her temple, letting my lips linger against her hot skin. “I swear, Imani, I’ll make sure you never regret choosing me.”

  She nodded slowly.

  Sure, I felt bad for Amir. And I hated that Imani was having such a hard time, but I preferred this to losing her forever. If another man made her cry, I’d spend my life wiping up her tears and making her smile again.

  “Excuse me.” A thin, Asian woman approached our table. She wore a faded pink T-shirt and khakis. In a thick accent, she asked, “What your order?”

  I felt around my pocket to make sure I’d brought my wallet. When I’d confirmed that I had it, I nodded. “I’ll have a chocolate sundae.”

  Imani’s head whipped around. “Really? How can you eat ice cream at a time like this?”

  “You’re right. I should get a burger instead.”

  “Unbelievable.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “Does that mean you don’t want anything?”

  Imani straightened. “I’ll have an Oreo cookie cone.”

  “Yes.” The woman dipped her head and, after a puzzled look at Imani’s wedding gown, she backed away.

  Imani nuzzled my shoulder. “I think I’m crazy.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m crying, but I’m so, so happy right now.”

  I slid my finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to press a quick kiss to her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed while I savored her taste. She was everything I’d ever wanted in a woman, everything I’d ever need.

  My fingers tightened on her chin and angled her closer. Forget the ice cream. Dessert was right here.

  Imani broke the kiss first and looked at me, eyes at half-mast. “You are so lucky we’re in public right now.”

  “I’m sure there’s a bathroom we can borrow somewhere,” I murmured.

  Her eyes opened fully and she glared at me. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “We’ll see.” I kissed her again. She murmured in pleasure. I let my fingers trail up her arms, running past the silk sleeves of her wedding dress. My chest caught fire, a raging flame set ablaze by this incredible woman.

  I wanted to kiss her again and again, but I refrained myself. There would be plenty of that later. We had our whole future in front of us. There was no running away this time. No shame. No guilt. Imani was mine. Free and clear.

  I stroked her cheek. “I love you, Imani.”

  “I love you too.”

  My chest ballooned with joy. After so many years, I couldn’t believe we were finally here. How the hell did I get so lucky?

  “I love you.” Imani kissed my cheek. “I love you.” The other cheek. “So, so much.”

  I smiled, enjoying the affection.

  “Here your ice cream,” a voice said, intruding on the moment.

  We startled and jumped around. The waitress from earlier was back with our orders. She stared at us with dull eyes that somehow managed to convey her disdain.

  Imani sheepishly accepted her cone. “Thank you.”

  “Thanks.” I flashed the woman a smile.

  She didn’t even blink.

  As soon as the waitress was gone, Imani and I stared snickering. In the midst of our subdued laughter, my phone rang.

  “You want me to answer?” Imani asked, licking her cone with one hand while reaching for my pocket with the other.

  “It’s probably Gran,” I said, shifting on my side so she could slip her hand into my jeans. “We had an accident on the way here and she stayed behind so I didn’t miss the ceremony.”

  “Oh no. Was it serious?”

  I shook my head. “We were…” I noticed Imani’s eyes on the phone. Her lips tightened and little lines wrinkled her forehead. “Who is it?” I bent over her to check for myself. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. “Do you recognize that?”

  Imani looked up at me, terror in her gaze. “It’s Portia.”

  I cursed and dropped my fingers into a napkin. “How did she know you were with me?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Don’t answer.” I wanted her in my world for a little longer.

  “It’ll be worse if I drag it out.”

  “Then let me go with you.”

  “No.” She inched out of the booth. “This is something I have to do alone. Besides, you won’t necessarily make the situation better. Go to Gran. I’ll deal with this—“ she wiggled my phone—“and then I’ll come to you.”

  I snatched her hand before she could flee. “Imani.”

  “What?” she asked but I could tell her mind was a million miles away.

  “I love you.”

  She stopped and looked at me properly. A smile flirted with her plump lips. “I changed my mind. Later, come to my place instead.”

  “Why?”

  “We’ll need the privacy.” With a dirty little wink, she ran off.

  Chapter 26

  IMANI

  I walked a few blocks down and waited under a bus shed. It felt like every eye in the near vicinity was trained on me. I ducked behind an obese man wearing an open shirt and jeans.

  To my dismay, he got up a few moments later to board the bus and left me exposed again. Trembling from all the attention, I put my hand up to shade my face and crouched low.

  People got married in Belize all the time, but by the looks everyone kept sending me, you’d think I was the first woman to put on a wedding dress and walk downtown.

  “Mommy, why is that princess waiting for a bus?” a tiny voice asked. I glanced to the left and saw a little girl, hand firmly locked in her mother’s, staring at me.

  “She’s not a princess, honey, she’s a bride.”

  I smiled at the mommy-daughter duo.

  The little kid took it as an invitation to interrogate me. “Where’s your prince?”

  “Uh,” I looked at her smooth brown skin and cute cornrows, “he’s at the ice cream shop.”

  “Did you just get married?” the mother asked.

  “No. I backed out at the last minute.”

  She paused. Stared at me. Then burst out laughing.

  I laughed nervously and muttered, “I’m serious.”

  The little girl glanced between us. “What does that mean?”

  A blue car pulled up to the curb just then. I sighed in relief and jumped up. “See yah!”

  The girl waved.

  I popped the latch and climbed into the front seat. My voluminous skirt couldn’t fit in the cramped passenger seat so I had to fight it down before I could close the door.

  When I was settled, I swung and smiled at the driver. “Hey, Porsh.”

  Silence.

  I winced. “Thanks for picking me up. I threw my shoes away when I was running from the church and the sidewalk was getting hot…”

  Nothing.
/>
  I turned fully on my side, the fabric of my dress rustling beneath me. Pressing my face into the seat, I did my best ‘puppy dog’ impression and moaned, “Don’t be mad.”

  “I can’t even look at you right now.”

  “You’ve got to admit. This is far from the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “Do you have any idea the chaos you’ve caused?” She dug her fingers around the steering wheel. “Everyone was so confused. Mrs. Williams was mortified.”

  “She looked fine to me,” I mumbled.

  “Do you think this is funny?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Why should I even be surprised? I’m sure you and Elliot were too busy sticking your tongues down each other’s throats to care about anyone else.”

  “Whoa, why are you so pissed? It’s not like I left you at the altar.”

  “Sometimes, Imani…” The muscles in her jaw coiled, “sometimes, I don’t know….”

  My heart pinched. “Look, I’m angry at myself too. I’m angry I let things get this far. I almost made a huge mistake, but I woke up before things got any worse.”

  “Wow, I can’t imagine what ‘worse’ looks like to you.”

  “If no one else is on my side,” I blew out a breath, “I’ll at least need you.”

  That seemed to soften her. “I just feel so bad for Amir and his family.”

  “I know.”

  “And when you weren’t there to answer all the questions, everyone turned to me. I felt like such a fool. It was embarrassing. Once again, you’d run off and left me to clean up the mess.”

  I patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry my drama put you in a bad spot.”

  “You need to talk to Mrs. Williams.”

  “I know.”

  “And Amir…”

  “I already talked to him.”

  “No, Amir took the limo and drove off. No one knows where he is.”

  I cringed. “I mean… he’s a grown man. It’s not like he would do anything stupid.” I chewed on a nail. “Would he?”

  “I’m not so sure, Imani. I know all you think about is how much you love Elliot and how you dodged a bullet, but the rest of us are really freaking out right now.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “You’re right. I’ll focus on one thing at a time. Did you bring my purse? Maybe if I call Amir, he’ll pick up.”

  “It’s in the backseat.” Portia pointed.

  I climbed to my knees and leaned into the backseat to fiddle through my purse. Portia swatted my dress, catching my leg in the process. “Get your skirt out of my windshield.”

  “Sorry.” I bundled up the excess fabric and grabbed my phone.

  Portia watched me out of the corner of her eye while I dialed Amir. My own anxiety increased when I felt hers. “It’s going straight to voicemail.”

  “Try again.”

  I did. “Same thing.”

  Portia gritted her teeth. “That’s not good. I was hoping we could have gotten in touch with Amir before we went to see Mrs. Williams.”

  “Why?”

  I found out why a few minutes later when my head almost flew off my neck. Gasps peppered the tense air. I slid my fingers up my cheek, shaking from embarrassment and anger.

  I’d never been slapped before, not even by my mother. And the sting skittering up my face paled in comparison to the sense of violation and disrespect.

  But I didn’t say anything.

  I just glared at the ground and breathed deeply. If slapping me made Amir’s mother feel better, more power to her. Fighting back now, when I’d caused so much trouble, would make me less than human.

  Portia, thankfully, fought for me. “Mrs. Williams!”

  “How dare you. How dare you show your face to me you evil, conniving woman. You should have kept running when you had the chance.”

  My hair hung around my face, a private curtain shading me from the looks of scorn and hatred that Amir’s family was aiming my way. I pinched my fingers together, shoulders heaving.

  Mrs. Williams huffed. “I hope you’re happy because that won’t last. I’ll make it my mission in life to ruin you. My son took out a loan—a loan—to satisfy all your demands for this wedding. He wanted you to have the best.” She laughed darkly. “Fool.”

  “I’ll pay it back,” I said hoarsely.

  “You will.” She stepped toward me, her voice low and threatening. “And you better hope Amir comes home alive or—”

  “If that’s a threat, I’m going to call the police right now,” Portia said firmly.

  Mrs. Williams backed off.

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry.”

  “If only apologies were worth a damn.”

  “I hurt you and I hurt Amir. There’s nothing in the world I can do to make up for that, but do you think this is easy for me? My family was there too. My mother, my father, my friends—they all saw what happened today. Breaking things off wasn’t an easy decision for me, but rather than drag things out and cause him even more pain, it was better to set Amir free.”

  “Don’t try to act like an angel of mercy,” Mrs. Williams ground out. “You’re here for one reason and one reason only. Have you talked to my son?”

  “Earlier. When I… yes.”

  “So not recently?”

  I shook my head. “He’s not accepting my calls.”

  “The moment he reaches out, tell him to come home. Do you understand?”

  “How do you know he’ll call me?”

  She leveled me a look so filled with spite and contempt I almost shivered. “Because that idiot still loves you, even after what you pulled today.”

  Her words slammed into my chest and shattered my heart. The burden of Amir’s feelings pinned me under, crushing me against a rock of guilt and panic. I’d been loved and adored by men all my life, but it had never bothered me like this. I’d never cared. As long as my heart was intact, it didn’t matter if someone else was hurting.

  But it did now.

  “Get out,” Mrs. Williams snarled, turning her back on me.

  I stumbled out of their house. Portia helped me to walk. Outside, on the lawn, I felt something prick the bottom of my foot. It was a tiny rock. Blood oozed from the cut, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t make a peep. Pain was what I deserved.

  Portia drove me home in silence. I didn’t even know we’d arrived until she tapped me on my shoulder and pointed to the apartment building.

  “Oh, thanks.” I opened the car door.

  “Will you be okay?” she asked.

  I nodded dumbly.

  “Keep your phone on, alright?”

  “I will,” I whispered.

  “Call me if you need me. I’ll be here as fast as I can.”

  I waved at her and plodded to my building. Amir had to be alright. If anything happened to him… I didn’t know if I could forgive myself.

  Chapter 27

  Elliot

  Imani walked right past me on her way up the stairs. I reached out to her but paused at the last minute and studied her face and drooping shoulders from the shadows in the parking lot.

  Her lips trembled and she hugged herself, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. I’d only seen her looking that shaken once. It was freshman year, the end-of-first-semester charter party.

  I was talking to a girl that had caught my eye when Imani leaped out of the crowd. I noticed she was crying and immediately focused on her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Elliot,” she’d said, brown eyes glassy, “I think we need to call the ambulance.”

  “What? Why? Are you hurt?” I’d grabbed her shoulders and looked her over.

  “Not me. Someone’s lying on the bathroom floor. I think she took drugs.”

  “Mami, we’re in college. Everyone does that—”

  “She’s not breathing.”

  The cops were called and the party quickly fizzled as everyone ran for the exits. Imani stayed through the frenzy and I remained by h
er side, holding her hand and waiting for the medics’ assessment.

  I’d never forget the moment the paramedics declared the girl was dead. Imani’s fingers slipped from mine and she held herself, shuddering visibly. I tried to wrap my arms around her but she pushed me back and ran away.

  Worried, I spent the night looking for her and, when she eventually turned up in front of my dorm room, my chest exploded with anger and relief. For a long moment, I didn’t say anything and just looked at her.

  “Why aren’t you asking where I was?” Imani murmured.

  I sighed. “Does it matter?”

  “I needed to think.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you pissed?”

  “Yeah.” I paused. “Because I missed you.”

  “Me too.”

  My body was fine-tuned to everything Imani did and as I watched her slink into her apartment building, my mind adjusted. Mami wouldn’t be up for my company tonight.

  Deciding to head back home without her notice, I pressed the vehicle’s fob and gave her space.

  Chapter 28

  IMANI

  The silence in my apartment was so loud. I paced my carpet, glancing at the clock and then at my phone. It lay on the coffee table, taunting me with its glaringly blank face.

  Suddenly, it brightened.

  The chirp rang in the quiet living room, blazing through the night like a siren. I froze and glanced over my shoulder. My eyebrows shot up when I saw the number.

  Elliot?

  I scrambled to answer. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” His smooth voice rumbled over me and, for a moment, all my anxiety about Amir and his family melted away. “I came by earlier,” he said. “But I left when I saw you. Figured you’d rather be alone tonight.”

  “Why were you outside my apartment?” I smacked my forehead as it all came back to me. “I told you to drop by, didn’t I?” I sucked in a deep breath and admitted, “Elliot, I’m so sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about.”

  I bobbed my head and kept pacing. “Maybe we can meet up tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, no problem.” He paused. “Are you okay?”

  I answered honestly. “No.”